Published: Friday, October 25, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 1:05 p.m.

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A veterinarian who examined more than 100 animals found at the Tuscaloosa K9 Training Academy in Berry said it was one of the worst cases of neglect he's seen.
Law enforcement agents called Dr. Jimmy Canant to examine 136 dogs, several cats, goats and a few pot-bellied pigs found at the facility that was profiled on the “Pit Bulls and Parolees” television show in 2012.
“I was stunned,” Canant said. “I've seen several abuse cases, but this is probably the worst one.”
The 24th Judicial Violent Crime and Drug Task Force arrested the owners on drug charges Wednesday afternoon, when they discovered the poor conditions and animal remains in a deep freezer, said Task Force Commander Richard White. Task force members returned with a warrant to investigate possible animal cruelty charges on Thursday morning.
“Facebook content will be suspended for a few days while we straighten out some issues. Please check back,” a message on the Tuscaloosa K9 Training Academy's Facebook page read Thursday morning. All four people arrested remained in the Fayette County Jail on Thursday afternoon.
Canant said that many of the 40 dogs he had examined by 1 p.m. were emaciated, dehydrated and suffered from eye, skin or respiratory conditions and untreated wounds. Large dogs were enclosed in small cages. Several required immediate emergency medical treatment, he said.
“Some of the environmental conditions are horrendous,” he said. “Because of the large number of dogs housed in such small areas, it's a recipe for disease.”
White said that investigators had been building a case against residents Heather Litz, Bryan McQueen, Charles Vance and Nancy Vance. Informants bought methamphetamine during the investigation, White said, leading investigators to obtain the search warrant executed Wednesday afternoon.
They found marijuana and drug paraphernalia before arresting the four residents, White said. No one had been charged with animal cruelty as of Thursday afternoon.
“Pending the investigation of what we find here, there may be more charges coming,” White said.
Many people whose dogs were at the facility to be trained have been calling law enforcement, asking how to retrieve their pets. White said that the pets would be released once the investigators finish searching the property and documenting their findings. People should find paperwork that indicates ownership if possible, he said.
Dogs were being kept in crates in the main home on the property. Cats and weeks-old kittens were living in a trailer outside, where rat poison had been spilled on the floor. Pot-bellied pigs roamed the property, sniffing in the gravel while trying to avoid a playful, tethered Belgian Malinois. Many of the dogs seemed socialized and playful, while others kept under shelters on outlying edges of the property did not.
Canant said it was unlikely that anyone of the dogs were being trained.
“Their general, basic health care has been very, very poor,” he said. “A dog that's sick or injured is not in a condition to be trained. There are a lot of unhealthy dogs here, so I doubt there was training going on.”
Before searching the property, investigators worked to make sure each animal had food and water. They were working to find animal shelters and veterinary practices that will assume care of the animals once the investigation is complete.
The property on Wilcutt Road was in the path of the tornado that struck on the morning of April 27, 2011. Twenty-four dogs were killed, while 28 survived.
At the time, the owners said that the organization rescues shelter dogs that might otherwise be euthanized and trains them to be service dogs. The dogs were sold to law enforcement agencies or donated to veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, they said. The academy also offered boarding and obedience training.

From left to right: Heather Litz, Bryan McQueen, Charles Vance and Nacy Vance.

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</style>A veterinarian who examined more than 100 animals found at the Tuscaloosa K9 Training Academy in Berry said it was one of the worst cases of neglect he's seen.
Law enforcement agents called Dr. Jimmy Canant to examine 136 dogs, several cats, goats and a few pot-bellied pigs found at the facility that was profiled on the “Pit Bulls and Parolees” television show in 2012.
“I was stunned,” Canant said. “I've seen several abuse cases, but this is probably the worst one.”
The 24th Judicial Violent Crime and Drug Task Force arrested the owners on drug charges Wednesday afternoon, when they discovered the poor conditions and animal remains in a deep freezer, said Task Force Commander Richard White. Task force members returned with a warrant to investigate possible animal cruelty charges on Thursday morning.
“Facebook content will be suspended for a few days while we straighten out some issues. Please check back,” a message on the Tuscaloosa K9 Training Academy's Facebook page read Thursday morning. All four people arrested remained in the Fayette County Jail on Thursday afternoon.
Canant said that many of the 40 dogs he had examined by 1 p.m. were emaciated, dehydrated and suffered from eye, skin or respiratory conditions and untreated wounds. Large dogs were enclosed in small cages. Several required immediate emergency medical treatment, he said.
“Some of the environmental conditions are horrendous,” he said. “Because of the large number of dogs housed in such small areas, it's a recipe for disease.”
White said that investigators had been building a case against residents Heather Litz, Bryan McQueen, Charles Vance and Nancy Vance. Informants bought methamphetamine during the investigation, White said, leading investigators to obtain the search warrant executed Wednesday afternoon.
They found marijuana and drug paraphernalia before arresting the four residents, White said. No one had been charged with animal cruelty as of Thursday afternoon.
“Pending the investigation of what we find here, there may be more charges coming,” White said.
Many people whose dogs were at the facility to be trained have been calling law enforcement, asking how to retrieve their pets. White said that the pets would be released once the investigators finish searching the property and documenting their findings. People should find paperwork that indicates ownership if possible, he said.
Dogs were being kept in crates in the main home on the property. Cats and weeks-old kittens were living in a trailer outside, where rat poison had been spilled on the floor. Pot-bellied pigs roamed the property, sniffing in the gravel while trying to avoid a playful, tethered Belgian Malinois. Many of the dogs seemed socialized and playful, while others kept under shelters on outlying edges of the property did not.
Canant said it was unlikely that anyone of the dogs were being trained.
“Their general, basic health care has been very, very poor,” he said. “A dog that's sick or injured is not in a condition to be trained. There are a lot of unhealthy dogs here, so I doubt there was training going on.”
Before searching the property, investigators worked to make sure each animal had food and water. They were working to find animal shelters and veterinary practices that will assume care of the animals once the investigation is complete.
The property on Wilcutt Road was in the path of the tornado that struck on the morning of April 27, 2011. Twenty-four dogs were killed, while 28 survived.
At the time, the owners said that the organization rescues shelter dogs that might otherwise be euthanized and trains them to be service dogs. The dogs were sold to law enforcement agencies or donated to veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, they said. The academy also offered boarding and obedience training.
<center><div class="picture center" style="width:403px;"><img src=" http://imageshack.us/scaled/large/802/2mw1.jpg " width="400" height="150"/><br />From left to right: Heather Litz, Bryan McQueen, Charles Vance and Nacy Vance.</div></center><center><p>***************</p><p><i>Reach Stephanie Taylor at <a href="mailto:stephanie.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com">Stephanie.Taylor@tuscaloosanews.com</a> or 205-722-0210.&nbsp;</i></p><p><div class="fb-like" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/tuscnews" data-send="false" data-layout="button_count" data-width="200" data-show-faces="false" data-font="tahoma"></div><i>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/tuscnews">Tuscaloosa News coverage on Facebook</a></i></p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/TNews_Steph" class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large">Follow @TNews_Steph</a><script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?screen_name=TNews_Steph" class="twitter-mention-button" data-size="large" data-related="tuscaloosanews">Tweet to @TNews_Steph</a><script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script></p>